The coronavirus crisis has exposed our collective frailty and the inability of our deeply unequal economy to work for all. Yet it has also shown us the vital importance of government action to protect our health and livelihoods, and to create a more equal and sustainable world.
The coronavirus pandemic has swept across a world unprepared to fight it. Only one in six countries assessed for the CRI Index 2020 were spending enough on health, and in more than 100 countries at least one in three workers had no labour protection such as sick pay.
This report shows the unparalleled power of public education to tackle growing inequality and bring us closer together. To achieve this, education must be both of good quality and equitable; it should be free, universal and adequately funded.
A decent education or quality healthcare is a luxury only the rich can afford in too many countries. Across the globe 262 million children are out of school. 10,000 people die every day because they can’t access healthcare. Teachers and public health care workers like Nellie and Dorra dedicate their life to great public services that benefit the poorest. And fight inequality every day.
This second edition of the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index is based on a new database of indicators, now covering 157 countries, which measures government action on social spending, tax and labour rights – three areas found to be critical to reducing the inequality gap.
The coronavirus pandemic has swept across a world that was already profoundly unequal.The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2020 shows that no country in the world was doing enough to tackle inequality prior to the pandemic. This is helping to fuel the crisis and has increased the vulnerability of people living in poverty, especially women.
Women’s economic empowerment has the potential to transform many women’s lives for the better and support economic growth. However, the rise of extreme economic inequality is a serious blow to the fight against gender inequality and a threat to women’s rights.
Somalia’s financial lifeline remains under threat as banks in US, UK, Australia, and elsewhere have broken ties with the money transfer operators that make remittances possible, NGOs warn.
Afghan women are consistently excluded from Afghanistan’s peace negotiations and formal talks about the country’s future. Unless this discrimination is reversed, Afghanistan’s development will be compromised, and enormous human rights gains made since the fall of the Taliban will remain under threat.